Insulin
Aliases: Humalog · Novolog · Lantus · Humulin i dr.
Last verified: 2026-09-23
The short version
A 51-amino-acid peptide hormone — the cornerstone of type 1 and severe type 2 diabetes treatment. The first recombinant peptide drug (1982). Abused in bodybuilding (very dangerous).
Identity & type
- Molecular type
- analog
- Origin
- A 51-amino-acid peptide hormone — the cornerstone of type 1 and severe type 2 diabetes treatment.
Mechanism of action
Insulin receptor (tyrosine kinase) → GLUT4 translocation, glucose uptake, anabolism (fat/glycogen/protein).
Dosing & routes
Official / clinical context
Approved drug — indications, dosing and warnings are defined by the official label. Individualized; basal/bolus regimens per glycemia.
Regulator-approved labeling and published study designs — never a recommendation.
Community-reported practice
Individualized; basal/bolus regimens per glycemia. In diabetics: life-saving glucose control. The bodybuilding community uses it off-label for hypertrophy — with serious hypoglycemia risk; one of the most dangerous practices.
Unverified self-reports. Not medical advice. Not endorsement.
Expected effects (community)
In diabetics: life-saving glucose control. The bodybuilding community uses it off-label for hypertrophy — with serious hypoglycemia risk; one of the most dangerous practices.
Protocol — official vs community
Official / label
A class, not a single drug: prandial (rapid: lispro/aspart/glulisine; ultra-rapid: faster aspart, URLi), basal (glargine/detemir/degludec; weekly icodec) and mixed formulations. Type 1 diabetes: basal-bolus or pump; type 2: added progressively per glycemia. All dosing fully individualized in units.
- 01Titrate continuously against self-monitored (or CGM) glucose: basal to fasting targets, prandial to post-meal targets
- 02Structured self-titration algorithms (e.g. +2 units every 3 days to fasting target) are label-endorsed for some basal insulins
Duration: Lifelong in type 1 diabetes; in type 2, continued as long as indicated.
Hypoglycemia is the dose-limiting toxicity and can be fatal; lipohypertrophy from site reuse blunts absorption. A century of use and still the standard every other antidiabetic is compared against.
Community (anecdotal)
Non-diabetic bodybuilding misuse: rapid insulin (e.g. 5–15 IU post-workout) stacked with high carbohydrate intake to force nutrient uptake into muscle.
- Cycle:
- Single injections around training, sometimes daily in phases.
- Break:
- None — the practice is episodic by risk, not design.
This is the most dangerous compound in the biohacker pharmacopeia: hypoglycemia can be fatal within an hour of a misjudged dose, and misjudgment is easy. There is no safe unsupervised insulin protocol; the compounds.json entry labels the practice plainly.
Human evidence
A century of clinical use; new ultra-rapid and weekly (icodec) formulations.
Preclinical evidence
The preclinical phase was completed and submitted to regulators as part of registration; pharmacology and toxicology details are part of the official label.
Known risks
- Hypoglycemia (potentially fatal), weight gain, lipohypertrophy.characterized
Teal: characterized in clinical/labeling contexts. Amber: theoretical or reported outside controlled settings.
Unknowns & evidence gaps
- Real-world data outside controlled trials